
Paris
‘Paris is the World, the rest of the Earth is nothing but its suburbs.’ So said the playwright Marivaux in 1734. Paris was then at its zenith, the largest city in Europe and unmatched for luxury and style. During the 11C, Paris had grown rich from the silver trade; and it lay on a strategic route for pilgrims and merchants. In medieval times relics drew hordes of pious tourists with disposable cash. King Louis IX (later Saint Louis) built Sainte-Chapelle Read More